Paternity
by scubaluver
Summary: Emily searches for her long lost father. Sonny finds out information about his long lost son. And Ned adjusts to Lois' death and gaining custody of Brooke, with the help of a friend.
1. Default Chapter

Paternity

Title: Paternity

Author: Brandy [brandyblack@mindspring.com][1]

Summary: Emily searches for her long lost father. Sonny finds out information about his long lost son. And Ned adjusts to Lois' death and gaining custody of Brooke, with the help of a friend.

Disclaimer: Don't sue; you wouldn't get anything anyway.

Archive: Only if you have my name and email address attached.

Feedback: Always appreciated, never required.

--

Emily Quartermaine left the gatehouse and returned to the main house. The last few days had been hard for everybody, but harder for her than most. When the call came, nobody believed it. How could Lois be gone? She was so young, so vibrant, so full of life. She had a little girl. 

Emily spent the day with Ned. She helped him deal with his grief. She helped get the house ready for Brooke. She stayed to greet the child. She needed to be there. She needed to give Brooke support. Still, it brought back so many memories. 

Emily empathized with what Brooke was going through. Emily remembered losing her mother, her best friend. For the first time in her entire life Paige wasn't there. She wasn't there to talk to. She wasn't there to listen. She wouldn't be there, ever again. After a while Emily learned to feel her mother's presence. It helped but it wasn't the same. 

As if losing her only parent wasn't hard enough, she had to move in with strangers. Her entire support system had been robbed from her. Then she was expected to love them, trust them. She had to accept the Quartermaines. Now Brooke had to accept Ned. 

Sure Ned was Brooke's father, they talked on the phone, and he even visited occasionally. Still, he was like a new person. Brooke had never lived with him, never learned to trust him. Ned could never be to Brooke what Lois was. Emily ached for the child. Yet, she felt a pang of jealousy. When Brooke lost her mother; she had her father. Emily never had that. 

Emily loved Alan. However, she longed to find her real father. She hoped there would be a connection she never felt with the Q's. As soon as she reached the house she went to the attic to find Paige's letters. Emily hoped they shed some light on the father she never knew. 

-- 

Ned stood in the doorway of Brooke's room. He watched her closely as she slept. It was almost as if he feared Brooke would vanish too. He couldn't lose her. How had he lost Lois? A drunk driver, the police report said. Brooke was in the car seat, safe. Lois' airbags never deployed. It was instant. She didn't feel a thing. All those phrases flashed through Ned's mind. They were little comfort. 

Ned wanted to go to bed. He wanted to sleep forever. How could he live in a world where something like this could occur? One look at Brooke changed his mind. He needed to be around for her. He needed to be strong for her. 

Finally he turned from the room. He left the door cracked. He could do it; he told himself over and over. He loved Brooke more than life itself. He could learn to be what she needed. The only question was how. 

"I can help her." He said to the air, "but who will help me?" Aunt Gertrude died of a sudden heart attack just weeks after the wedding. Nobody else cared to enforce Uncle Herbert's will. Chloe returned to Milan. Alexis left with Jax for John and Jane's wedding anniversary and came back committed to him. Who was left? He asked himself. 

He wasn't looking for love. He needed a friend. Somebody stable, organized, friendly, strong. One name came to mind. He picked up his phone and dialed several numbers and prayed Venus, not Simon, would answer. 

-- 

Sonny hung up the phone and collapsed onto the couch. What should he think? He had waited eighteen years for that phone call. Now that he had received it, he hardly knew how to process the information. 

He had never told anybody, not Jason, not Mike, not even Brenda. He planned to tell Lily but she was taken before he got the chance. He wasn't hiding it. It just hurt too much to think about. Talking about it was out of the question. 

How could he tell people now? They would feel betrayed. The people who loved him expected so much. They expected him to be strong, in control, but mostly honest. He had lied to them more times than he could count. Now he needed to come clean. 

He went upstairs, and looked in his closet for the box of memories. He hadn't looked at them in years. Even at the hardest times when he looked at Lily. He couldn't bring himself to look at her. His pain still cut too deep. He couldn't look at the picture of his first wife. 

The call had brought it all back. All the love, all the emotion, all their hopes and dreams. Good memories he would have cherished forever, except for the pain of losing his infant son. After the loss, after the hopes of finding him dried up, Sonny couldn't stay. He couldn't look the woman he loved in the eye. Knowing he was responsible for David's disappearance he chose to save everybody the pain of living with him. He had only hurt them. It was the first of many times he ran. 

It was a kidnapping. They wanted money, honor, and power. They wanted to pay him back for something he did. What he owed them was never worth the price of his son. Sonny waited for months, almost a year, for the ransom call. It never came and Sonny left. 

He was lost deeply in his own thoughts. He didn't hear the door, the creaking of the stairs, or the footsteps behind him. He wasn't aware of the presence in the room. He wasn't even aware of his own tears, and then the phone rang. 

~~~~~

   [1]: mailto:brandyblack@mindspring.com



	2. Chapter 2

The ringing phone shattered the silence in the room

The ringing phone shattered the silence in the room. Sonny hoped it was the kidnappers with their demands. "Corinthos." He said harshly into the receiver. 

On the far side of the room Mike stood uneasily. Sonny had yet to notice the older man's presence. Mike tried to look at the photos Sonny had dropped when he answered the phone. From the angle Mike was standing at he could barley make out the details. Still, it seemed like Sonny was the only familiar face Mike saw in the pictures. Who was the woman? Who was the child? Why did Sonny have these pictures? And if they were who he thought they were, why had Sonny never told him? Would Sonny tell him now? 

Sonny began to pace around the room as he listened to the person on the phone. His mood didn't improve when he saw Mike. "Great all the more I have to explain to him." Sonny thought silently. He had given Mike so much hell about leaving. Sonny wondered how he could explain that he had done the same thing. 

Mike looked at his son. He saw anger and rage in Sonny's eyes. Mike contemplated leaving. Sonny's rage was really not his favorite thing to experience. His need to help comfort his son was quickly losing his internal battle of wills to his sense of self-preservation. 

Sonny listened intently to the man on the phone. He wondered how he could possibly pull it off on time. What would happen if he couldn't? That possibility scared him. 

Mike came close to bolting. However, taking one last look into his son's expressive brown eyes. There he saw a new more intriguing emotion. Behind the anger, Mike saw fear. 

Hanging up the phone, Sonny turned to Mike. "What in God's name are you doing here? Who let you in?" 

"What is going on?" M9ike asked ignoring Sonny's rage. 

"Get out." Sonny demanded. He couldn't deal with Mike, not today. 

Mike thought hard. Picking up the picture he thought of a way to get through to his son. 

--  
Ned tapped his foot on the floor nervously as he listened to the ringing phone. "Where are they? Why don't they answer the phone? Why doesn't their machine pick up? What would I say to a machine if I got one?" Ned asked allowed. 

He finally decided he didn't know what to say and hung up the phone just as he heard a knock at the door. Ned groaned. So many people had come by already. They wanted to help. He appreciated that his friends and family cared, however, they always asked him questions he wasn't prepared to answer. 

How was he supposed to answer when they asked him how he was? He lost a woman who had been his best friend, his lover. Yet, they weren't together anymore. It wasn't like losing his wife. Still, it hurt. Ned never expected to lose her. He hurt for himself, but mainly for Brooke. 

Ned decided not to answer the door. He didn't want company; he didn't want to wake up Brooke; and he didn't want to explain everything. However, the person at the door had other ideas. 

Realizing the visitor would never stop knocking, Ned opened the door. 

--  
Emily sat in the attic in tears. How could it still hurt this much? She wondered while reading her mother's old letters. Paige had written Emily a series of letters of love, support, and advice. Emily read them whenever she needed Paige; still, they got to her. She felt Paige's presence more when she read them. She felt her absence more as well. 

She pushed the sadness out of her mind. She had a mission. She looked through boxes to find anything that might give her a clue to her father's identity. She had just found a stack of intriguing letters locked in Paige's jewelry box, when the phone rang. 

Emily groaned as she reached for the portable beside her. Emily hoped the call would be short. "This is Em." She said into the receiver. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Em, this is Nik

"Em, this is Nik. Can we talk?" Nikolas asked almost pleadingly. They had been so close, before Katherine sucked him in. Even while he was going out with Kat, He and Emily continued to get closer. All that ended when Lucky died. Now he prayed he could get their closeness back. 

"What do you want to talk about?" She asked confused. Why would he be calling her? They hardly even spoke anymore. 

"Anything, Em…. Please. I need a friend." Nikolas said, with an unmistakable sadness in his voice. 

Emily wondered what it was about. He needed her? She couldn't admit how wonderful those words made her feel. She had to be practical about it. Looking around the room she decided she could use some help going through boxes. "Sure can you come over?" 

Nikolas smiled. He didn't think it would be that easy. "I'll be over in about fifteen minutes. You are alone, right?" 

Emily cringed when she heard his question. She might never live the Juan mistake down. "I am alone, I am in the attic and bring food." She said before hanging up. 

--  
When Ned finally opened the door he was stunned by what happened next. The woman at the door didn't say a word. She stepped into the house, wrapped her arms around him, and held him in a deep embrace. "How are you?" She asked softly. 

"Venus?" Ned asked surprised after pulling back from the embrace. 

"No the Queen of Sheba." She said sarcastically. Then she regretted her words. Her friend was mourning. He didn't need her sarcastic comments. "That's smart, V." She scolded herself silently. 

Ned ignored her comment. "What are you doing here?" He took her hand and led her to the couch. He feared, if he let go of her, she would leave as quickly and unexpectedly as she had come. 

V fought the urge to make her answer sarcastic. "I heard a friend of mine was hurting. I came to check up on him." 

"Lucky guy." Ned said with a slight smile. 

"I hope he feels that way." V answered. She had been worried he would reject her presence. "How are you?" 

Ned gave a defeated chuckle. "I can't seem to avoid that question. I am worried." He admitted finally. 

"About?" V probed. 

"Raising my daughter. I love her. I love her more than words can say. However, we have never been together. We don't know one another. I don't know how to make her feel better when she is sad. I don't know what she likes for breakfast? I don't know who her favorite cartoon character is. I don't…." Ned trailed off surprised he felt tears welling up in his eyes. 

V moved closer and caressed his cheek. She didn't stop to wonder if she was crossing a boundary. She had to help her friend. "Now you have a chance to learn." She said softly. 

He turned his head to look into her eyes. "How?" 

--  
Sonny looked at his father. "I told you to get out." He said forcefully. Why could Mike never take a hint? 

"I'm staying." Mike answered stubbornly, still studying the pictures. 

"Those are mine." Sonny said angrily, as he got up to grab them. 

"You want them back?" Mike held onto them firmly. 

"Jesus Christ, Mike, Give them back." The anger in Sonny's tone could be heard in the next building. 

"Why are they so important to you, son?" Mike continued to remain calm. He prayed Sonny wouldn't hurt him, however, he wasn't sure that was a bright move. 

Sonny grabbed for the photos. "They are none of your business." His rage increased with every word. 

Sonny held on tight. He wasn't giving up now. 

Both men were too wrapped up in the fight to hear the door open. "What's going on in here?" Came the female voice. "What is so important about those photos?" 

~~~~~~


	4. Chapter 4

Sonny looked in the direction of the new voice

Sonny looked in the direction of the new voice. "Could the situation get any worse?" He wondered silently. "They are mine. Mike won't give them back." Sonny tried to keep his voice calm. 

"You sound like Michael." Carly complained. "You are not a child, Sonny." 

Mike smiled. He hadn't been thrilled when Sonny announced he was seeing Carly. However, Carly never bowed down to Sonny. She stood up to him. She wouldn't let him get away with anything. Mike hated to admit it; but Carly was good for his son. 

"Who asked you?" Sonny retorted. He was too upset to realize it made him seem even more childish. 

"That was a mature response, Sonny." Carly answered. What did she see in this man? Okay he was handsome, intelligent and he had great taste. He had a sense of adventure that she craved. Really she saw a lot in him. However, when he got stubborn, it was hard to remember why. 

Mike held on to the pictures. While Sonny focused his energies onto sparing with Carly, he loosened his grip. Mike pulled them away triumphantly. 

"Great!" Sonny exclaimed sarcastically. Why did he always let Carly get to him? Now he would have to face the consequences. 

"What is the big deal? They are just pictures." Carly said. However she moved around the room hoping to get a better look at them. 

Mike studied them long and hard. "Why are you hiding these? "Who are the people in these photographs?" 

Sonny stared at the floor. He spent sixteen years trying to keep anybody from seeing those photos. All at once he would have to show them from the two people he wanted to hide them from the most. "Nobody." He lied. 

Carly and Mike looked at one another and then at Sonny. "Yeah right." Carly said sarcastically. 

"Why would you fight so hard to hide 'nobody'?" Mike asked. "Try again." 

Carly moved towards Mike and grabbed the photos. She felt a knot growing in the pit of her stomach as she looked at them. She prayed they weren't real. She knew they were. The first picture depicted Sonny and an attractive young woman. He was young, handsome, and slightly boyish. She was beautiful, lighter than Sonny, but dark. A sincere look of happiness played across her face. Her eyes shined with love for her companion. He held her close, lovingly, protectively. Carly's voice trembled as she spoke softly. "Who is she?" 

--  
V closed her eyes against the pain of Ned's simple question. He wanted to know how to reach his daughter. "You know how, Ned. You spend time with her, play with her, and talk to her. She will open up to you." 

"What if she doesn't?" Ned asked softly. Brooke was the most important thing he was ever given. He had to get it right. 

"You try harder. When she trusts that you will be there everyday, she will open up to you. When she knows that you love her, she will trust you." 

Ned's emotions were close to the surface. He rarely let any negative emotions out in public. However, he fought back tears as he spoke. "She knew Lois loved her." 

"Oh Ned. I know it hurts." V ached for him. Her words didn't seem like enough. "It isn't fair. Brooke didn't deserve to lose her mother." V worked hard to keep her emotions in check. At times like these she missed her own mother even more. She couldn't dwell on that now. Ned needed her to be strong. "You can't bring Lois back. However, you can help Brooke to get through it." 

"Why don't you understand? I don't know how. I don't know how to be a father. I don't know how to help Brooke." Ned said almost desperately. His dysfunctional family failed to train him for parenthood. 

"I think you do. You show her that you love her. You do the best you can. You just have to remember that if you need help, you can ask for it." That was key, V thought. 

"Will you help me?" 

--  
Nikolas stopped moving when he spotted Emily. She sat Indian style on the attic floor. A pile of yellowed paper lay strewn across the floor around her. Partially opened boxes filled the remainder of the room. However, Nikolas only really saw Emily. Her dark hair fell gently framed her face. He ached to feel the soft strands between his fingers. 

Emily felt a presence behind her. Turning to survey the room, she found Nikolas. She couldn't help but smile. "You could have said hello or something." 

Nikolas blushed. He hated being caught. "Hello." He tried to recover. 

"Hi." Emily said softly. Thinking it sounded dumb, she blushed. "Come in. "You don't mind it up here, do you?" 

Nikolas stepped in closer. "It's fine." 

Fine wasn't much to go on. "Did you bring the food?" 

Nikolas held the bag towards her. "I did." He smiled. "I brought your favorite." 

"Really?" Emily smiled. "Can I have some?" 

Nikolas thought about it. Yes was too easy. "You have to give me something first." 

Emily looked at him curiously. "What do you want?"


	5. Chapter 5

"What do I want

"What do I want?" Nikolas asked as he thought over his answer. I want a kiss. No, he couldn't say that. She might slap him. She wasn't ready yet. "I want to know what you are doing up here." 

"That is it?" Emily asked disappointed. She hoped for a more romantic request. 

"It will do, for now." Nikolas swung the bag of food near her face enticing her with the aroma. 

"You don't play fair. I am looking through old boxes." Emily answered. She wasn't sure how much she should tell him. She had invited him to help, but now…. It seemed so silly. 

"For?" Nikolas asked holding the food above her reach. 

Emily couldn't resist the look in his beautiful brown eyes. Something in them made her trust him. "My father." 

Nikolas studied her face. She wasn't kidding. "You think he is in one of the boxes?" Nikolas asked with a smile. 

Emily glared at him, less than amused. "I am looking for letters or something." Emily said softly. 

Nikolas knew not to tease her. This was too serious, too personal. "What prompted this?" 

Emily looked down. He thought it was a bad idea. "Brooke went to live with Ned. But my father, I didn't have that option. I don't know him. I don't remember him. I just…. It is like a piece is missing." Emily stumbled as she tried to explain herself. 

Nikolas placed his fingers under her chin and lifted her head. When her eyes met his he moved his hand to caress her cheek. "I know. I understand. Can I help?" Thinking over his own life, he knew he could help with more than just the boxes. 

--  
V couldn't believe what she heard. Ned didn't often ask for help. As she constructed her response she saw the look in Ned's eyes change. 

Of course she wasn't going to help. She no longer lived in Port Charles. "You need to get back to Simon?" Ned asked masking the hurt in his voice. 

V didn't say anything. She didn't know how she could. 

"You came to give me a hug. You came to make sure I was all right. Now you are going back." Ned sounded defeated. It seemed like everybody he counted on was no longer around. 

"Ned, I…." V started. She didn't know how to continue. 

--  
Sonny looked at the hurt in Carly's eyes. Realizing he caused the sadness he winced. "Carly, I…." He began. 

"Cut the crap, Sonny. Tell me who she is." Carly demanded. 

Feeling uncomfortable with the situation Mike headed towards the door. He was curious about the same thing. However, he didn't feel right watching them fight. 

"Stay." Sonny commanded. "You should hear this too." 

Mike nodded and moved back into the room. 

"She was my wife." Sonny admitted finally. 

Carly looked back at the picture. "She isn't Lily." 

"No, she isn't. We were married before I met Lily." Sonny tried to look into Carly's eyes. Their expression was the best barometer for Carly's feelings. However Carly just stared at the picture in her hand. 

Mike looked shocked. "You never mentioned her before. Why bring her up now?" 

"I didn't bring her up. You broke into my home and took the pictures. Now I am answering questions about them. I didn't invite you to look at my photo album. You intruded." 

Mike looked hurt. Sonny was right. "Where is she now?" He asked softly. 

~~~~~~~


	6. Chapter 6

"Where do you think she is

"Where do you think she is? She was married to me." Sonny hoped the sarcasm in his voice would hide the pain. 

"I am sorry, son." Mike said softly. He felt betrayed. Sonny never mentioned the woman before. Mike realized, for the hundredth time, Sonny would never confide in him. 

Carly hated her curiosity. She wanted to hit Sonny. She wanted to scream. She wanted to tell him what she thought of his lies of omission. However, she needed to know more. She needed to know about the woman who preceded her. "What happened to her?" 

Sonny laughed in spite of himself. "Morbid curiosity?" His voice lost any traces of humor as he continued. "I can talk about her." 

"Sure you can. You open your mouth and move your lips. Talk, Sonny." The situation failed to amuse Carly. She was going to hear everything. 

Sonny closed his eyes and pictured the woman he had loved so deeply. The image hurt. He had no problem picturing her. He did that at least once a day. However the pain was too deep to share. The thought of talking about his first wife overwhelmed him. He didn't know where to begin. "It isn't that easy." 

Carly tried to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. It wasn't healthy. She laid the photograph she was holding on the table beside her. Underneath it, she found one she had not seen before. She examined it in stunned silence. "The child?" She asked softly. 

--  
"You what, V?" Ned asked after noticing her pause. He feared she was about to announce her engagement to Simon. "What is it Venus? Please, tell me." 

"This isn't easy." V said softly. She hated this situation. 

"What isn't easy? You can tell me anything. You know that. We are best friends, remember?" Ned smiled at the end of his sentence. He hoped his dimples would soften her mood. 

"Simon and I broke up." V admitted softly. She felt like a failure. Only one man, in her entire life, loved her. She couldn't make it work with him either. 

"Oh Venus. I am sorry. What happened?" Sincere concern sounded in Ned's voice. 

"It didn't work. I guess, I should have known a yearlong pleasure cruise would be too much. I got bored. I wanted to be working, helping my friends, getting something, anything, accomplished. He didn't feel the same way." 

Her voice sounded sad, defeated. Ned took her hand. "Are you okay?" 

"I wanted it to work. I wanted to love him the way he loved me. I wanted to feel loved." V admitted softly. Then she blushed. "Oh Ned, forgive me. I don't know how I could be so callous? I came here too help you. We are talking about me…." 

Ned interrupted her mid apology. "Venus you don't need to apologize. I want to know about your life. I am your friend. I want to help you through this." 

"But I came to help you." Venus argued. 

--  
Emily smiled warmly at Nikolas. "I forgot about your family situation. Maybe, you can help. Is it silly of me to want to find him?" 

Nikolas took her hand. "When I thought Stavaros was my father, I wanted to know him. He was gone, still, I wanted to know everything. I used to run around the house looking for evidence of him. Of course, it was easy to find. The island is a shrine to him. I sat at his place at the table. I went to all the places I had seen in pictures of him. I hoped, by being there, I would get a sense of him." 

Emily smiled. It helped to know that she wasn't alone. "I still take down my mother's things when I miss her. I try to remember what she was like. I try to imagine what she would look like. Sometimes, I try to hear her voice in my head. If I think about it really hard, I can almost hear her voice. But by the time I realize I have it, it has gone." Emily stopped when she felt the tear run down her cheek. "Sorry." She whispered. 

Nikolas lifted her chin. Bringing her eyes to his own, he spoke sincerely. "Em, don't be sorry. It is normal to miss your mom. It is normal to want to find you dad. There is nothing to be ashamed of." 

The tears running down Emily's face had yet to subside. "My parents, Alan and Monica, they have taken good care of me. It seems like I don't appreciate them or something." 

"Oh Em, of course you love them. You don't have to do this if you aren't ready." Nikolas offered in an attempt to lessen her tears. 

She shook her head. "I need to know." 

Nikolas nodded. "Let me help you look, okay?" 

"What if I find something? What do I do then?" She hoped he would have some answer. She didn't know what to do. 

"Let's see if there is anything in the boxes first, okay? We can decide what to do from there." Nikolas' voice remained soothing. "Where should I begin?" 

"These look interesting." She handed him a stack of old letters. "I guess we can read through these." 

Nikolas felt odd reading through the old letters. It felt as if he was entering a different world. He worried it wasn't a world he was meant to see. He felt like a voyer, yet, curiosity drove him further into the letters. He read intently for almost an hour. Then he found something startling. "Em." He said in a quiet, shocked voice. 

The expression she saw on his face, when she turned, confused her. "What is it?" 

~~~~~~~~~~


	7. Chapter 7

"This letter

"This letter." Nikolas said softly. He tried to think of a way to tell Emily about it. When he began reading he had no idea what to expect. This was more than he bargained for. 

Emily approached timidly. "What is it?" She asked again. 

"Emily, come here." He held a hand out to her as he spoke. 

Nik's tone scared her. Something was wrong, way wrong. She wanted to hold his hand. She wanted to hold him. She couldn't. "What is it Nik?" She asked again. "Please just tell me." 

Nikolas tried to think of a way to tell her. "You said you would make a decision about how much you wanted to know when we found out more about your father." 

Emily stood stunned. "You know something about him?" She asked almost frightened. She had wanted to know for so long. Now that it was so near it scared her. 

"Yes. I found a letter." Nikolas answered. 

Emily's heart raced. Was she more excited or scared? She didn't know. "Tell me about him. Please." ,p --  
Ned smiled at V's expression. "Maybe we can help each other." He answered. 

"You shouldn't have to help me. I am an adult. I should be able to take care of myself." She said stubbornly. 

"I have no doubt that you can, V." He said with a smile. He knew she could do anything she set her mind too. She could shoot a gun, she could file a perfect report, she could sit through hours of red tape, she could cut through it just as easily, she could sign a record deal, she could sing, she could dance, and she could light a room up by simply smiling. He smiled just thinking about it. 

Ned's smile flustered her. "I am mad at you and you are smiling at me:" 

He couldn't help but laugh. "You are just so much fun when you are annoyed." 

V did not look amused. "Thank you very much. I come to help you and you laugh at me." She didn't know why it hurt so much. "I don't need this." Her voice grew louder with every word. "I am leaving." She said as she got up and headed for the door. 

Ned couldn't let that happen. He hadn't really smiled in weeks. He couldn't let the one thing that brightened up his mood walk out the door. If he did that he was done for. 

"V, don't go!" He exclaimed. 

"Why should I stay?" She asked as she turned back towards him. 

Ned thought of many reasons. He just couldn't put them into words. "I… You…." He stumbled. 

His inarticulate attempts were wearing thin. "When you think of a reason for me to stay, call me. I might come back." She said softly. Her anger was dissipating, however, she wasn't ready to give in. 

That changed when she heard the reply. 

--  
Sonny took the picture Carly was holding. That photograph was one of the few tangible memories he had of his son. He stared into the boy's eyes. Sonny noticed, not for the first time, they were his own. "He is my son." Sonny answered softly. 

Carly nodded and blinked back the tears. One look at the boy in the photo told her that much. She expected that answer. Still, it hurt. 

Mike expected it too. The boy looked so much like Sonny when he was that young. "Tell us about him, Michael?" Mike wanted to know everything about his grandchild. He knew the story couldn't be good. If it were Sonny wouldn't have hid it for so long. He almost feared what Sonny would tell him. 

"Great Pop I tell you the biggest secret I have and still you call me Michael. Can't you show a little sympathy for the suffering? Hell, why don't you just leave. I am not worth the trouble anyway." Sonny said as he began pacing. 

"You are my son. You are worth the trouble." Mike answered. 

Sonny shook his head. "I suppose you want to hear this too." Sonny asked Carly. "His name is David." 

"What happened to David?" Carly feared the answer even as she asked the question. 

"Very good, Carly. I loved him. Something obviously happened to him. Maybe you should take that as a sign and take Michael as far away from me as possible." Sonny snapped. How could she trust her child around him. Everything he touched disappeared. 

"What happened to him?" Carly repeated. She couldn't be deterred that easily. 

"He was kidnapped." Sonny answered. "Somebody took him to prove they weren't afraid of me. They wanted me to roll over. I left instead. I couldn't get David back, the least I could do was protect the rest of my family." Sonny's rage held back his tears. 

He had never spoken about them to anybody. When he started he couldn't stop. "With me out of the way my wife could be free to live a long and happy life." He said with a sarcastic laugh. "As much of one as she could without our son. In the end a lot of good it did her. I left to save her life. A bullet, an explosion, or a fire, maybe one of those would have been less painful for her." 

Mike and Carly could only watch as his tears began to fall. "She was supposed to take the baby and live a good and happy life. Paige was supposed to move out west and raise our daughter away from madness. In the end she died too young and Emily's "family" is as mad as they come. 

~~~~~~~~~~


	8. Chapter 8

Mike and Carly were stunned by what they had just heard

Mike and Carly were stunned by what they had just heard. "EMILY!?!" They both said at once almost in shock. 

Carly stopped and tried to consider what Sonny had said. His wife, Paige? His daughter, Emily? There had to be plenty of women named Paige who had daughters named Emily. "Emily Quartermaine?" She asked hoping he would say it was different. 

Sonny nodded. "She is my daughter." 

Mike shut his eyes trying not to express the betrayal he felt. How could Sonny be that cruel? "My granddaughter?" 

The unmistakable pain in Mike's voice caused Sonny to flinch. "Yes she is." 

"She was with us so many times. The nurses ball, dinner at the penthouse, lunch at Kelly's. All those times, I was with my granddaughter. I never knew. You never told me. You never said a anything at all." Mike's voice broke as he said the words. 

"I never told anybody. Don't you understand that? I have never told a soul. You wont either." Sonny said emphatically. That point had to be understood. 

Mike was about to protest when Carly spoke up. "Sonny, you know as well as anybody that Emily is not my favorite person. We don't like one another at all. However, I think keeping this from her is a mistake." Carly couldn't believe she was saying the words, even as she spoke them. "She needs to know she belongs someplace, Sonny. The Quartermaines have given her many things, but she has no sense of belonging. They are incapable of giving that to her." 

Mike nodded in agreement. "People shouldn't live with them. You know that. You know what they did to Jason. How could you allow her to stay with them? You need to offer her a way out." 

Sonny shook his head. "She is safer if she doesn't know. She is safer as long as nobody knows. What I told you today does not leave this apartment." Sonny demanded. 

--- 

"Don't go." Came a very small voice from the top of the stairs. 

Ned and V looked at one another shocked. Neither one of them had expected Brooke to be awake. They certainly didn't expect her to interject herself into the conversation. "I should go." V said to break the silence. "Your daughter is up. She needs you." 

Ned looked up to the top of the stairs. "Hey Brooke, up from your nap already?" He asked with a soft smile. 

"Uh hu." She nodded as she started downstairs. "Who is your friend?" She asked while examining V. 

Brooke had been increasingly shy since losing Lois. She had a hard time reaching out to new people. Ned wasn't sure what sparked her curiosity about V but he was prepared to use it. "Why don't you introduce yourself, Princess?" 

Brooke looked at Ned uncertainly. His reassuring smile was all she needed to propel herself to the woman in front of her. "Hi, I am Brooke Lynn. Who are you?" She asked in a small, soft, shaky voice. 

V smiled the shy little girl reminded her of herself at that age. "My name is V. I am a friend of your Daddy's." 

"Oh, good he needs more friends." Brooke answered loosening up more. "Only poeopel who live up there," Brooke pointed towards the mansion, "come to visit." 

V laughed softly. "You don't like the Quartermaines?" 

Brooke scrunched her nose and shook her head. "They are stuffy. They wear dress clothes all the time." She said conveying her shock that there were people like that. Then a frown played across her face. "Well, 'cept Emily and Grandmother. They are nice." 

Ned smiled as he watched the pair interact. Brooke hadn't held a long conversation with anybody other than Emily or himself since she arrived in Port Charles. He made a mental note to include V in more of their activities. "What about V? Do you think she is nice?" 

Brooke smiled. "Uh hu… Can she come upstairs and play?" 

--- 

Still in shock over what he had found in the letter Nikolas wasn't quite sure what to tell Emily. "I don't know where to begin." He said softly. He couldn't begin to calculate all the consequences of what he had learned. Sonny Corinthos was Emily's father? 

Emily wanted to grab the letter from his hands and devour its contents. However, she was paralyzed by fear. 

Nikolas watched this reaction. "Are you sure you want to know what this letter says?" He wasn't sure she was ready to learn that a man she had known for years was really her father. 

"Am I sure that I want to know? I have wondered about him for my entire life. Why wouldn't I want to know?" 

He is a mobster? Nikolas thought to himself. "Because once you know, you can't go back. You have to know that you are ready to learn the truth, regardless of what it might be. You also need to find out in a way that is good for you." Nikolas couldn't help but think how much nicer it would have been if he could have picked how he learned about his own parentage. 

Emily considered Nikolas' statement. She knew she wanted to know, or rather, needed to know. However, did she really want Nikolas to tell her? It seemed much too private an issue to learn that way. Still she didn't want to be alone, what if she didn't like what she learned? "Stay with me?" She asked timidly as she reached for the letter. 

"For as long as you need me." He reassured. If he couldn't protect her from the contents of the letter, at least he could help her through the emotions she would feel once she read them. 

-----


	9. Chapter 9

"Thank you for staying

"Thank you for staying." Emily said softly as she reached up to take the letter. It helped knowing that Nikolas had some experience in this situation. Still, she was terrified of what the letter said. Her hand shook as she took it from him. She couldn't help but thinking of what she might learn. Was he a rapist? A murderer? Had he ever loved them? Was he disappointed because she was a girl? A brunette? 

Emily stopped her mind from wandering like that. I won't know anything until I read the letter. She reminded herself as she found a place to sit down and read. If anything was information you should sit down for, this certainly was. 

Wanting to prolong the inevitable, she studied the writing on the envelope. "At least he is literate." She whispered softly as she read the neat almost familiar handwriting. 

She breathed in deeply and pulled the letter out of the envelope. Slowly she unfolded it; and studied the lines of print. She wanted to look at the signature line and find his name first. However, something compelled her to read the whole thing. 

_Dearest Paige,   
I hope this letter finds you safe and settled. Of course, I know that it has. The guards never fooled you before. I am not quite sure why I thought they would this time. Maybe I knew they wouldn't. I know how much you hate them. I am not trying to insinuate that you can't take care of yourself. I have known you longer, better than that. I just wanted to make sure you and the princess were safe. I needed to know that. It is the only thing that makes this easier. _

_Oh Paige, if I could make everything better I would. If I could know you would be safe, I would be with you both tomorrow. Since that is impossible, try and make the best of your life. Live a long and happy life filled with sunshine and laughter. After so many years with me, you have earned that and much more. _

_Tell the Princess I love her; I have always loved her. Her birth was one of my three best days. I wish I could be there for her class play, her first solo ride on a two wheeler, her first crush, her first time behind the wheel, her high school graduation… and beyond. I would give everything I have to hear her call me Daddy, or give me one last hug._

The tears welling up in Emily's eyes made it impossible for her to continue reading. She wasn't sure she wanted to know why he had to keep them safe. She didn't want to think of what he might have done to endanger them. All that mattered, at that moment, was that he had loved her. She wiped her eyes and continued with the letter. 

_I know these letters make it harder for you to move on. This is the last one, for a while, at least. The bank account will always be full and you know how to get to me, if you need anything else. Keep these photos to show her when she asks about me, please.   
Always,   
Sonny. _

"Sonny?" She whispered looking up at Nikolas. "Sonny Corinthos?" 

Nikolas nodded as he knelt down beside her and pulled the photographs out of the envelope. "Can you tell me what you are feeling?" He asked as he wiped a fresh set of tears off her face.   
---   
After losing her mom and moving to a strange place, her first reaction was to take a stranger upstairs to play? Ned wondered about his daughter's strange request. "You have to ask her, Brooke." 

Brooke looked up at V with a shy smile. "Will you come and play with me?" V smiled as she took the little girls hand and led her upstairs. "What do you want to play?" 

Brooke shrugged her arms. "Whatever you do." 

V laughed. "What is your favorite?" Scanning the games and toys V realized that Brooke had quite a collection. 

"Candy land." She whispered softly. "Will you play that with me?" 

V nodded, got the game out and set it up. "Should we invite your Daddy to play too?" 

"No." Brooke shook her head emphatically. "Just us." 

V looked puzzled. "Okay, why? Does your Daddy not like Candy Land?" V wondered about the child's reluctance to invite Ned. It seemed like Brooke should feel more comfortable with her father present. 

"I want to talk to you." Brooke said in a strong serious voice.   
---   
Carly shook her head. She wasn't sure that not telling Emily was the brightest move that sonny ever made, however, when he got like this there was no arguing with him. She would have to try a different tactic. "What if she figures it out?" 

Sonny snapped his head towards Carly. "What do you mean?" 

"If she figures out that you are her father, what are you going to tell her?" Carly explained herself. 

"How could she do that?" Sonny asked suddenly worried that it might be a possibility. "You are not going to tell her." 

Mike sighed. "That is not what she said. What if Emily started thinking about all the time you spend with her? What if started reading Paige's diaries? Are there letters she might have access too?" 

The letters, Sonny groaned inwardly. "There are letters." He admitted softly. "She has never found them before." He tried to tell himself and the others. "That isn't good enough, is it?"   
--- 


	10. Chapter 10

The expression on Carly's face continued to sour

The expression on Carly's face continued to sour. He had lost his mind. That was the only logical explanation. "Isn't good enough? You have the audacity to ask that? What do you think, Corinthos?" 

Sonny's face betrayed no emotion. "What do you want me to say? I made the best decision I could for my daughter." 

"Leaving her with the Quartermaines? They destroy their young. That was "the best decision for your daughter"? You, of all people, should know what they do. You saw what they did to Jason. Why would you let them do that to Emily?" 

"They didn't kill her. She wasn't kidnapped." Sonny argued. He would never regret keeping his baby girl safe. It was the last and most important promise he ever made to Paige. 

Carly couldn't believe what she was hearing. "They let her become a drug addict." Carly hated that she exposed Michael to them. She never had a choice, Sonny did. 

"And you suggest what?" Mike asked from the corner of the room. "Maybe Sonny's bodyguards can lead a raid and steal her. They can bring her back to the penthouse. We'll have flowers and balloons. Hugs will ensue and everything will start coming up roses." Suddenly Mike's sarcastic tone turned serious. He had experience in reconnecting with older children. "It won't play like that." 

Sonny smiled grimly. "He isn't often right; but this time he nailed it. If she finds out, she is going to flip. This stays between us forever." Sonny sounded more sure than he felt. Paige always kept the sentimental things; Emily could find th letters. 

"Keep telling yourself that." Carly sighed. "Stay in denial as long as you want. Please, learn from my experience, Corinthos. You need to be prepared for her reaction WHEN she finds out."   
---   
V studied Brooke Lynn's somber expression. "What is it, Brooke?" V couldn't imagine what Brooke had to say. 

"It's about my Daddy." Brooke answered seriously. 

"What about him?" V's puzzled expression frustrated Brooke. 

"You like my Daddy, right? And you like Candy Land? You are really good at it." Brooke flashed her sweetest smile as she moved V's piece to the top of the board. Grownups were always happy when they won. 

"I think I belong down here." V moved her piece back to its original location. "Of course I like your Daddy. He is one of my best friends. And I am having a great time playing Candy Land with you." V wondered what Brooke was planning. 

"Good!" Brooke smiled. "Will you play with me lots? Everyday?" Brooke's voice quivered with a nervous excitement. 

V tried to cover up her laugh. "I would love that." 

"Really?" Brooke couldn't believe her luck. Anybody who was fun, didn't obsess over winning, liked her daddy, and didn't live in the big house was fine by her. 

"First, we need to make sure it is okay with Ned." V wouldn't dream of making a promise she couldn't keep. Brooke had faced too many disappointments already. 

"It will be okay. You'll see." She was halfway down the stairs before V had the chance to stand. "Daddy, Daddy, guess what!" Brooke shouted as she jumped into Ned's lap. 

"You won the lottery?" Ned quipped. He had no idea what made Brooke so happy. 

"No, Daddy." Brooke giggled. "Even better. V is moving in with us."   
---   
Emily pulled herself out of Nikolas' tight embrace. "What am I feeling?" Her entire worldview had been turned on end. "I never thought I would find him." Her body trembled as she tried to come to terms with what she had learned. 

Nikolas desperately wanted to make everything easier for her. He started to reach out for her again, but thought better of it. He knew, better than anybody, what she was feeling. First there was the relief of solving a mystery, then came anger. 

"I thought it would be like trying to find my Aunt, you know? Meeting him was a great fantasy. Something I could dream about, worry about." As she spoke tears cascaded down her face. "I imagined searching for him, nervously wondering if I should call, praying he wanted to meet me." 

"And now?" Nikolas found a tissue and handed it to Emily. 

"He knows me." Emily took the tissue. Instead of using it to dry her tears she absentmindedly tore it to shreds. With every passing moment her anger increased as well. "HE KNOWS ME!" She screamed. 

The scene seemed so familiar to Nikolas. He remembered when he thought Stefan was his father. The first things that bothered him were the lies and the years he spent without a father. Emily must ache over the same things. 

Emily tried to calm herself, however, with every passing thought, her anger grew. "I used to go to him for advice." Emily cried. "When things were bad, I talked to him. When I couldn't stand the Q's, I went to him. When things got bad at home, I told Jason, or I told Sonny! He knew! He could have saved me!" Hoping to release some of her rage, Emily picked up the nearest vase and threw it against the wall. Watching it shatter, Emily calmed. "I have to go!" She whispered before sprinting downstairs.   
---


	11. Chapter 11

Nikolas watched helplessly as Emily ran down the attic stairs

Nikolas watched helplessly as Emily ran down the attic stairs. He wanted to join her, but assumed she needed to be alone. Emily had volumes of information to process; he had no intention of interfering with that. Still he worried. 

He knew, all too well, what she was going through. When he was told Stefan was his father, he spent days analyzing the time they had spent together. A part of him was thrilled. Stefan had always been there for him. Stefan was alive, and for all of his faults he had never kidnapped Laura or tried to freeze the world. Stefan was no saint. However, Nikolas had always felt pressure to rationalize Stavaros' actions. Learning Stefan was his father, freed Nikolas from that duty. 

However, it also caused him great pain. He understood it intellectually. Stefan was protecting Nikolas' position in the family. Emotionally, that was no comfort. Stefan robbed him of the opportunity to call somebody father. Stefan had kept himself emotionally distanced for so long. There had been so many opportunities when Nikolas desperately needed a father. And yet, not once did Stefan ever reveal his hand. Nikolas questioned that decision so many times. He assumed Emily was doing the same thing. 

Emily ran down the attic stairs and snuck off the Qartermaine estate. She had no intention of being spotted by the family. What could she tell them? She was looking for information about her father? They would think that she hated them. Things weren't perfect with Q's. The family had more problems than she could count. However, they took her in, after Paige died. They gave her a family. Having a dysfunctional family was better than having a father who had never claimed her. 

After what seemed like hours of aimless wandering, Emily found herself kneeling at her Mother's grave. "Oh mom." She whispered sadly. "I found your letters. I know about my father. I had to look; I felt so alone, so disconnected. I wanted that connection. I just never dreamed it would end like this. 

"I know him, Mom. He lives here. When things get bad with the Q's, sometimes I talk to him. I mean," Tears almost obscured her words. "I liked him. I trusted him. But now? He never told me… I almost died Mom, and he never said anything. She became more upset as she spoke. 

"Did he really love us? He said so, not to me. Why not? I needed him, Momma. Why did he stay away?" She knew her mother couldn't answer, but her mind wouldn't let her stop. "Was it me? Was he disappointed in me?" She choked on her tears as she finally voiced one of her biggest fears.   
---   
"Brooke!" V exclaimed. I must be dreaming; V decided silently. Brooke couldn't have told Ned that she was moving in with them. It wasn't possible was it? 

"What?" Brooke's face showed complete innocence. 

Ned grinned and brought Brooke onto his lap. "What is all of this about?" He asked before V could get a word in edgewise. 

"V is moving in with us." Brooke rolled her eyes. She loved her Daddy but sometimes he could be a little slow. 

V stood in stunned silence. She prayed Ned knew that it had been Brooke's idea. 

"Has V agreed to this?" Ned was torn between thinking the whole situation was funny and wondering what had made Brooke come to this conclusion. 

"She said she would play with me every day. And she is nice and pretty." Brooke smiled. "And she doesn't cheat at Candy Land like Grandfather." Her nose wrinkled as she remembered the way he always lied about the colors on his card. 

The image of Edward cheating while playing with a child amused V and she was finally able to speak. She knelt on the ground to be at eye level with Brooke. "Brooke, Sweetie, I will play with you anytime that you like, if it is okay with your Daddy. You can call anytime you would like, but I can't move in." 

"Bu…But…I want you to stay." Brooke's lip quivered. When people left sometimes they didn't come back, and Brooke wanted V to come back. "Please?" It wouldn't be so scary with a nice lady like V living with them. 

Brooke's expression melted Ned's heart. Part of him didn't want to share her with anybody else. He wanted to make up for all of the time that he had missed. However, he could tell how important V was to Brooke. She was used to having Lois, her grandparents, and neighbors all around her. She had been surrounded by people she trusted. The Quartermaines, on the other hand, frightened her. Having V around, as a buffer, couldn't hurt, right? Ned smiled softly at his daughter and then turned to V. "Please stay." He whispered.   
---   
Carly's words stung. "You need to go." Sonny demanded. He never imagined that Emily would find out. The thought sent shivers up his spine. He needed to think, and he couldn't do that with Carly and Mike yammering away. 

"Son, I think…" 

Before Mike could finish, Sonny interrupted. "Go, both of you!" The matter was not up for debate. 

Mike and Carly exchanged helpless glances before leaving. When Sonny was in that mood, little could be done to sooth him. 

"We should find her." Carly mused when she reached the foyer. "She shouldn't find out by accident." 

"We can't. Michael needs to work this out on his own." Mike argued. However, before he could say another word, Carly was out the door.   
---   
Sonny rubbed his temples and thought over his options. For once in his life he had no idea about what to do. It never occurred to him that Emily might find out. But now that it had, he was consumed by it. He needed a plan. "What do I do? What do I tell her? God…. She is going to hate me. And what can I say? I would hate me too. I have spent years hating Mike. He didn't know what Deke did to my mother and me. I can't claim that. I saw what they did to her." 

Sonny sighed. He was getting nowhere. Sonny stood up and walked out of the door. He needed to talk to Paige.   
---


	12. Chapter 12

Sonny stood in the trees a good distance from his first wife's grave

Sonny stood in the trees a good distance from his first wife's grave. He watched as his daughter poured her heart out to her mother. Ironically, Sonny realized, both he and Emily needed Paige on the same night so many years after her death. How many other things did they share? He wondered silently. 

Sonny fondly remembered time he spent with his children when they were babies. He studied their features, trying to decide which received from him and their mother. Emily's hair, long and straight like her mothers, was dark and silky like his own. Her eyes were the exact same shape as his, but not her nose. Emily had her mother's smile and contagious optimism, or so he had always thought. Sonny's heart skipped a beat with fear that maybe she had inherited the darkness from him, after all. 

She was one of the few people who could bring him through the dark periods. No matter how much he hurt, just seeing her lifted his spirits from their depths. There were times when he lived for the stolen moments he spent talking to his daughter, and when he couldn't be with her he paid people to watch her, to keep her safe. Now as he watched her crying, he worried that it hadn't been enough. "What is wrong with her, Paige?" He whispered. 

Sonny smiled sadly. Paige couldn't tell him anything. Sonny breathed in deeply and started towards her. As he closed the distance between them he finally began making out her words. 

"I know you can't answer me." Emily whispered as she dried the tears off her face. "I do know that, but how can I ask him?" 

"Ask who what?" Carly inquired as she stepped out of the shadows. She thought she recognized the look on Emily's face, but needed confirmation.   
--  
"Yippee!" Brooke exclaimed, moving off her father's lap she took a leap off the couch and into V's arms. "You can stay!!!!" Brooke announced excitedly. 

"I….I…" V mumbled. Why is it that this child always left her lost for words? V wondered as she held Brooke. 

"I know you are excited, Sweetie, but it is bedtime." Ned announced, more to give V a break, than to get rid of his daughter. 

"Can V sing to me?" Brooke asked curiously. 

"I…I don't really sing." V explained softly. She searched Brooke's expression for disappointment. She hated hurting the little girl. 

"Really? Maybe Daddy can teach you." Brooke giggled. "He is the bestest singer." 

V smiled broadly. She remembered a time when she was that proud of her father. "Maybe I can read you a story instead. Would you like that?" 

"Uh hu." Brooke nodded vigorously. "Can I pick?" She asked hopefully. Ned had gotten tired of reading her favorite story; she hoped V would have some patients for it. 

V nodded. "Anything you would like." 

Ned rolled his eyes. V had no idea what she was in for. He had read the same book forty-two times since Brooke had arrived. He loved his daughter and tried to be cheery every time she asked for it, but he could handle only so much Frog and Toad. 

Brooke ran upstairs happily as she went to search for her favorite story. 

"We will talk when you get back." Ned flashed a dimpled grin as V turned to go upstairs. For the first time since Lois died Ned felt like maybe things would be okay.   
--  
"Excuse me? I fail to see how this is any of your business." Emily spun around to confront Carly. 

"Emily, please." Carly tried to remain calm. "I can help." She didn't know how she could be calm and rational with Emily yelling at her. However, she had to try. No matter how much she wanted to change it, Emily was her stepdaughter. 

"Oh get off it." Emily yelled. "You don't know. You don't know anything." Emily lowered her head as it occurred to her that maybe Sonny had told Carly everything. The idea that he might have told Carly, angered Emily even more. 

"I know more than you think." Carly sighed under her breath. 

Emily rolled her eyes as she tried to keep herself from slapping Carly. If Carly didn't leave soon she would be unable to control herself. "I don't see what business you could possibly have with my mother. And you don't have any other friends, so I suggest you go." 

"You can not send me away." Carly sneered. All she was trying to do was help and Emily would have nothing to do with her. 

"You aren't my mother. Go away." Emily yelled. 

"I…" Carly started to spill the beans but was interrupted by a shout. 

"Don't even think about it." Sonny roared as he stepped in between them. 


	13. Chapter 13

"Don't even think about what, Sonny

"Don't even think about what, Sonny?" Carly spun around, and smiled sweetly in an attempt to appear innocent. How had Sonny caught her, unless…Had he been watching Emily? Had her words gotten to him? 

Emily, too, spun around to look at Sonny. As soon as she made eye contact, it hit her. The eyes she stared into were her father's, and hers as well. For the first time she saw the similarities. Their eyes were almost exactly the same, the shape, the color, and even some of the expression; it was like looking into a mirror. How could she have missed that before? 

Sonny bit his lower lip as the reality of the situation set in. He had seen her a thousand times; each time was a treasure, however, this time was different. The emotion he saw in her eyes shook him deeply. He always believed he could read her feelings from the expression of her eyes, and what he read now seared his soul. 

Emily desperately wanted to break her gaze, however, she couldn't look away. The awe she felt was quickly replaced with confusion, anger and trepidation. She could feel a connection between them; she knew he felt it as well. How could he have ignored it? How could he have let her feel so disconnected? She couldn't help but feeling that he caused immeasurable pain for both her and her mother. She wished she had the words to express it. As the silence that passed between the group increased, she began to wish that she was able to say anything at all. 

Carly looked back and forth between the pair. The intensity of there stares almost frightened her. Worried she was intruding on a highly personal moment, she started to move away but found herself unable to move. 

Nikolas watched the scene from afar. The surrealism of it all stunned him. Sonny and Emily stood inches apart, simply studying one another. Carly watched, fidgeted, and watched some more. The silence of the scene spoke volumes. It was if everybody in the cemetery needed the time to put their world back into order. 

The serenity of the scene passed as quickly as it had come. "What do you want from me?" Emily's voice tensed as she attempted to keep some control over her emotions. The longer she looked at Sonny the more anger built up inside her. 

That anger caused Sonny to wince in pain. "Emily." He whispered. 

Emily rolled her eyes. "That is the best you have?" She remembered the first time she attempted to find her father. At four years old she snuck into her mother's room looking for any evidence at all. When she first learned to read, she searched very new phone book that came to their door. She never had a prayer. Her father's last name was Corinthos, and he was not listed in any book. No, he was standing in front of her; he always had been. And after at least twelve years of searching, does she get tears, hugs, apologies, or explanations? No, all she gets is her name. "Very paternal." She sneered sarcastically. 

Sonny smiled involuntarily. Her strength always amazed him. As much as he hated the rejection, he admired it all the same.   
--   
Fresh from reading Toad and Frog to Brooke, V descended the stairs happily. By the time she reached the floor, her demeanor changed. "Hi." She whispered nervously when she caught sight of Ned watching her. 

"Did it go okay?" He asked softly. Sometimes Brooke maneuvered to stay awake for as long as possible. He worried that V might have fallen victim to Brooke's charm. Of course he had too, on more than one occasion. The dreams Brooke experienced after coming to Port Charles frightened her so much that Ned often decided to let her stay up for as long as she wanted. 

V nodded. "She fell fast asleep." Starting to move towards him, V stopped suddenly. "Are you sure this is okay?" 

"Reading to my daughter?" Ned raised an eyebrow. "Of course." 

"No." V fidgeted. "Are you okay with me staying here? I know you would do anything to help her. You have become a really wonderful father." V sighed. "But that doesn't mean you need to accept a stranger in your home." 

"You are far from a stranger. You used to work here, remember? We were friends, too. Ned pouted in his best attempt to appear hurt. "Am I that easily forgettable?" 

V looked stricken… "I…I… I never…" She couldn't make the words come out. 

Ned flashed his dimples, stood and took her into a comforting hug. "V, don't worry. I know what you meant." Moving back, he looked directly into her eyes. "I am not going to lie to you, V. You deserve far more than that. I thought of inviting you to stay because Brooke asked. And when she did, I realized you would be perfect. You have a feminine touch that she has missed. Add that to the fact that you are not a Q, and you are a perfect fit." Ned breathed in deeply before continuing. "You are good for her. But I invited you to stay because you are good for me."   
--   
Emily's words hurt. There was no denying it anymore. She knew. She knew, and she hated him for it. Like father like daughter; Sonny sighed. He could just hear himself saying exactly the same words to Mike, or worse. Caught between pride that his daughter could stand up to him and pain that he warranted every bad thought she harbored towards him, Sonny silently searched for a way to make everything better. Not finding one, he remained silent. 

"Snappy comeback." Emily shook her head in near disgust. "Jesus, say something!" She yelled. "Talk to me." Angry tears flowed freely from Emily's face. "Why? Sonny, Why? Tell me the truth; you owe me that." 

"And so much more." Sonny whispered, finally breaking his self-imposed silence. "I thought it was best for you, my job, it is dangerous. It always was. Your mom and I wanted you safe, carefree, and secure, so I left." 

"Better me than your precious job?" Emily backed away from him. "You chose criminals over your wife and daughter? Some prince you are." 

"I never said I was, Emily." Sonny sighed. "I got myself into a lot of trouble, and if I stayed, you and your mother would be in trouble too. I didn't want that. Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever did. You don't know how that hurt." 

Emily's nostrils flared in anger. "You want me to feel sorry for you?" Stunned by his audacity, Emily almost laughed. "I grew up entirely without a father. When my mother got sick, I had nobody. I watched her worsen, weaken, and die. The whole time knowing that I didn't have anybody else. It was she and I, forever. And then she was gone." Emily shook her head in anger. "Can you imagine that, being a little girl all alone in the world? Can you?" Tears stung her cheeks as they began to fall. 

It took all of his strength to stand there and listen to Emily's words. Knowing she was right caused him more pain than anything he had ever imagined. "I…." 

"Don't, Sonny. There isn't anything you can say." Emily interrupted. "I dealt. My mom died; I was left with the Quartermaines, and I survived, I don't need your sympathy. I don't want your apologies, and I can't take your insufficient explanations. You had a wife; you had a daughter, and you threw them away. You don't get another chance. I'd watch out if I were you, Carly. He's brutal." 

Enraged by her words, Carly started towards Emily. 

Sensing motion out of the corner of his eye, Sonny reached an arm out, and calmly shook   
his head. Emily had every right to her reaction; he would do nothing to dissuade it. He watched silently as Emily turned and walked away. As destroyed the encounter left him, he almost smiled at the irony of it all. In her dismissal of her father, she resembled him more than she ever had before.   
"Don't even think about what, Sonny?" Carly spun around, and smiled sweetly in an attempt to appear innocent. How had Sonny caught her, unless…Had he been watching Emily? Had her words gotten to him? 

Emily, too, spun around to look at Sonny. As soon as she made eye contact, it hit her. The eyes she stared into were her father's, and hers as well. For the first time she saw the similarities. Their eyes were almost exactly the same, the shape, the color, and even some of the expression; it was like looking into a mirror. How could she have missed that before? 

Sonny bit his lower lip as the reality of the situation set in. He had seen her a thousand times; each time was a treasure, however, this time was different. The emotion he saw in her eyes shook him deeply. He always believed he could read her feelings from the expression of her eyes, and what he read now seared his soul. 

Emily desperately wanted to break her gaze, however, she couldn't look away. The awe she felt was quickly replaced with confusion, anger and trepidation. She could feel a connection between them; she knew he felt it as well. How could he have ignored it? How could he have let her feel so disconnected? She couldn't help but feeling that he caused immeasurable pain for both her and her mother. She wished she had the words to express it. As the silence that passed between the group increased, she began to wish that she was able to say anything at all. 

Carly looked back and forth between the pair. The intensity of there stares almost frightened her. Worried she was intruding on a highly personal moment, she started to move away but found herself unable to move. 

Nikolas watched the scene from afar. The surrealism of it all stunned him. Sonny and Emily stood inches apart, simply studying one another. Carly watched, fidgeted, and watched some more. The silence of the scene spoke volumes. It was if everybody in the cemetery needed the time to put their world back into order. 

The serenity of the scene passed as quickly as it had come. "What do you want from me?" Emily's voice tensed as she attempted to keep some control over her emotions. The longer she looked at Sonny the more anger built up inside her. 

That anger caused Sonny to wince in pain. "Emily." He whispered. 

Emily rolled her eyes. "That is the best you have?" She remembered the first time she attempted to find her father. At four years old she snuck into her mother's room looking for any evidence at all. When she first learned to read, she searched very new phone book that came to their door. She never had a prayer. Her father's last name was Corinthos, and he was not listed in any book. No, he was standing in front of her; he always had been. And after at least twelve years of searching, does she get tears, hugs, apologies, or explanations? No, all she gets is her name. "Very paternal." She sneered sarcastically. 

Sonny smiled involuntarily. Her strength always amazed him. As much as he hated the rejection, he admired it all the same.   
--   
Fresh from reading _Frog and Toad_ to Brooke, V descended the stairs happily. By the time she reached the floor, her demeanor changed. "Hi." She whispered nervously when she caught sight of Ned watching her. 

"Did it go okay?" He asked softly. Sometimes Brooke maneuvered to stay awake for as long as possible. He worried that V might have fallen victim to Brooke's charm. Of course he had too, on more than one occasion. The dreams Brooke experienced after coming to Port Charles frightened her so much that Ned often decided to let her stay up for as long as she wanted. 

V nodded. "She fell fast asleep." Starting to move towards him, V stopped suddenly. "Are you sure this is okay?" 

"Reading to my daughter?" Ned raised an eyebrow. "Of course." 

"No." V fidgeted. "Are you okay with me staying here? I know you would do anything to help her. You have become a really wonderful father." V sighed. "But that doesn't mean you need to accept a stranger in your home." 

"You are far from a stranger. You used to work here, remember? We were friends, too. Ned pouted in his best attempt to appear hurt. "Am I that easily forgettable?" 

V looked stricken… "I…I… I never…" She couldn't make the words come out. 

Ned flashed his dimples, stood and took her into a comforting hug. "V, don't worry. I know what you meant." Moving back, he looked directly into her eyes. "I am not going to lie to you, V. You deserve far more than that. I thought of inviting you to stay because Brooke asked. And when she did, I realized you would be perfect. You have a feminine touch that she has missed. Add that to the fact that you are not a Q, and you are a perfect fit." Ned breathed in deeply before continuing. "You are good for her. But I invited you to stay because you are good for me."   
--   
Emily's words hurt. There was no denying it anymore. She knew. She knew, and she hated him for it. Like father like daughter; Sonny sighed. He could just hear himself saying exactly the same words to Mike, or worse. Caught between pride that his daughter could stand up to him and pain that he warranted every bad thought she harbored towards him, Sonny silently searched for a way to make everything better. Not finding one, he remained silent. 

"Snappy comeback." Emily shook her head in near disgust. "Jesus, say something!" She yelled. "Talk to me." Angry tears flowed freely from Emily's face. "Why? Sonny, Why? Tell me the truth; you owe me that." 

"And so much more." Sonny whispered, finally breaking his self-imposed silence. "I thought it was best for you, my job, it is dangerous. It always was. Your mom and I wanted you safe, carefree, and secure, so I left." 

"Better me than your precious job?" Emily backed away from him. "You chose criminals over your wife and daughter? Some prince you are." 

"I never said I was, Emily." Sonny sighed. "I got myself into a lot of trouble, and if I stayed, you and your mother would be in trouble too. I didn't want that. Leaving you was the hardest thing I ever did. You don't know how that hurt." 

Emily's nostrils flared in anger. "You want me to feel sorry for you?" Stunned by his audacity, Emily almost laughed. "I grew up entirely without a father. When my mother got sick, I had nobody. I watched her worsen, weaken, and die. The whole time knowing that I didn't have anybody else. It was she and I, forever. And then she was gone." Emily shook her head in anger. "Can you imagine that, being a little girl all alone in the world? Can you?" Tears stung her cheeks as they began to fall. 

It took all of his strength to stand there and listen to Emily's words. Knowing she was right caused him more pain than anything he had ever imagined. "I…." 

"Don't, Sonny. There isn't anything you can say." Emily interrupted. "I dealt. My mom died; I was left with the Quartermaines, and I survived, I don't need your sympathy. I don't want your apologies, and I can't take your insufficient explanations. You had a wife; you had a daughter, and you threw them away. You don't get another chance. I'd watch out if I were you, Carly. He's brutal." 

Enraged by her words, Carly started towards Emily. 

Sensing motion out of the corner of his eye, Sonny reached an arm out, and calmly shook   
his head. Emily had every right to her reaction; he would do nothing to dissuade it. He watched silently as Emily turned and walked away. As destroyed the encounter left him, he almost smiled at the irony of it all. In her dismissal of her father, she resembled him more than she ever had before.   
-- 


End file.
